Adansi North health workers threaten strike over alleged encroachment on facility land

Staff of the Adansi North District Health Directorate in the Ashanti Region have threatened to withdraw their services if authorities fail to stop what they describe as the continued encroachment of health facility land by a private developer.

The workers, dressed in red during a protest in Fomena on Friday, August 14, 2026, said they could lay down their tools if urgent action was not taken to protect the Directorate’s land.

According to them, the alleged encroachment could deprive the health facility of space needed for future expansion and the implementation of essential public health programmes, including immunisation and family planning services.

Promotion Officer of the Adansi North District Health Directorate, Nana Yaw Agyere Akadum, said management had raised concerns about the alleged encroachment with the District Assembly and other relevant authorities for about a year, but the matter remained unresolved.

He explained that the latest development followed a communication from the Adansi North Traditional Council informing the Directorate that the private developer intended to extend his project onto the disputed area.

Mr Akadum said the Directorate responded that it did not have the authority to approve the proposed extension and consequently referred the matter to the Ashanti Regional Director of Health Services.

However, he said, shortly after the letter was sent, workers arrived at the site and began digging a foundation.

“We sent the letter at 7 a.m. When it got to the evening, around 5 pm, we saw that there were workers here who were digging the foundation,” he said.

The development, he added, had heightened concerns among staff that the developer could eventually take over the entire parcel of land.

“Our fear is that when we wake up the following day, and we come around, and we see that since he has started encroaching on the land, possibly he can take over the whole land,” he said.

Mr Akadum warned that the health workers would be compelled to withdraw their services if the authorities failed to resolve the matter.

“If this issue is not being addressed properly, if the District Chief Executive, the District Assembly, the Assembly Members don’t come in to address this issue appropriately, we’ll stop coming to work. We’ll put down our pens, and we’ll not come to work until further notice,” he said.

The workers have appealed to the Ashanti Regional Minister, the Regional Director of Health Services, the District Chief Executive, Assembly Members and traditional authorities to intervene and prevent further encroachment.

They stressed that losing the land could undermine the Directorate’s ability to expand its operations and deliver critical public health services to residents.

Mr Akadum noted that the facility also serves as a storage point for vaccines used in immunisation programmes and hosts other public health activities.

“Moreover, we have vaccines that are being used for immunisations being stored at the District Health Directorate. That’s where public health activities are being carried out,” he said.

He explained that the decision by the workers to wear red was intended to draw public attention to the issue and compel the relevant authorities to act before the health facility permanently loses the land.